UK NSC and public views about restoring cancer screening pathways following COVID-19
Cancer Research UK has published the results of a UK public survey examining attitudes towards restoring screening pathways in response to COVID-19.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recently published its ethical considerations in the restoration of adult screening pathways.
This helps screening providers and commissioners to restore screening pathways following COVID.
It used the new UK NSC ethical framework for screening, which is based on 4 principles:
- Improve health and wellbeing.
- Treat people with respect.
- Promote equality and inclusion.
- Use public resources fairly and proportionately.
The report stated that it would be helpful to better understand the current views, needs and concerns of the public to inform any decisions regarding strategies for restoring screening pathways.
As such, the UK NSC welcomes the publication of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) report on attitudes towards screening delays.
Professor Anne Mackie from the UK NSC said:
Screening advisory teams across the UK will need to consider a range of factors when advising the NHS on strategies for restoring screening pathways.
In the current situation, there are unlikely to be solutions that do not involve some level of compromise, but a process of careful balancing can help teams to reach thoughtful and robust decisions. This public attitudes survey will be immensely helpful for informing those decisions.